ABSTRACT
Public critical discourse positions Kara Walker’s work within debates of race and racial responsibility. Critics are largely concerned with Walker’s open-ended use of painful anti-black stereotypes, which could possibly reinforce racism. For many of these critics, the viewer’s interpretation of the silhouettes is a primary focus. However, almost none of this commentary gives museumgoers space to voice their ideas regarding Walker and her art. Viewers’ voices are nonexistent within the discussion. Additionally, to date, there has been no scholarly study of audience reception of Walker’s silhouettes in order to assess the possible infl uences of the silhouettes on Walker’s audience.
